Matt Lauria is back on TV, and fans of “Friday Night Lights” know exactly who he is — even if they haven’t caught him yet on CBS’s “Sheriff Country.”
The actor portrays Lieutenant Nathan Boone on the new show. Yet Lauria’s face belongs to Luke Cafferty, the high school football player he portrayed in Season 4 of the NBC drama. That’ explains why audiences may spot him before they know why.
From “30 Rock” to Luke Cafferty
Lauria’s first TV credit came in Season 2 of NBC’s sitcom “30 Rock,” where he played Winthrop in the 2007 episode “Jack Gets in the Game.” His role was minor but memorable: a shirtless character whose only purpose was to be attractive and wrestle a closeted male side character as part of Jack Donaghy’s (Alec Baldwin’s) latest power play.
In an interview with Backstage, Lauria recalled how there’d been only a few days’ gap between his audition and filming. He also admitted to flubbing one of his early lines, only for Baldwin to take him aside and tell him, “Come on, kid, you got a long career ahead of you. You gotta get this!”
Baldwin’s prediction held. Just a couple of years later, Lauria landed his breakout role in Season 4 of “Friday Night Lights” as Luke Cafferty. The character stuck around until the series finale, and Lauria told Today that the show had always felt like his destiny. “I just felt like it was my mission in life to be on this show,” he said. He recalled watching the series’ pilot as a college student and thinking to himself, “I should have been in this show.”
“Parenthood” and Beyond
After “Friday Night Lights,” Lauria moved to NBC’s drama “Parenthood,” where he played Ryan, a troubled veteran struggling to adjust to civilian life. “This feels like the most important role that I’ve ever played,” he told The Hollywood Reporter about Ryan in 2012. He explained about researching the role, “I’ve been in touch with all these veterans from Afghanistan who have been extremely generous with their time.”
Lauria also appeared in a handful of films over the past decade, including the 2019 action thriller “Miss Bala” and the 2023 comedy “80 for Brady.” In 2013 he also starred in the off-Broadway play “Really Really” in a role he described to Gothamist as “very demanding physically and emotionally.” He explained further, “I can’t let go of the play. When I’m not there I’m constantly thinking about it. ‘Did it go well? How can I tweak it? What can I dig deeper on?'”
Back to TV
Though he has ventured into film and theater, TV appears to be Lauria’s true comfort zone. Over the last few years, he took on a starring role as a lead for three seasons on “CSI: Vegas”, and then appeared on Season 2 of “Tell Me a Story.”. Among all his shows, he has singled out “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” as the clear standouts.
“‘Friday Night Lights’ has a very special place in so many people’s hearts,” he said to Today. “That and ‘Parenthood’ — they’re both can’t-miss shows — are the ones that people tell me that they’re rewatching and rewatching.”
| Show | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|
| “30 Rock” | Winthrop | NBC |
| “Friday Night Lights” | Luke Cafferty | NBC |
| “Parenthood” | Ryan | NBC |
| “Sheriff Country” | Nathan Boone | CBS |
A Career Built on Confidence
What stands out about Lauria’s path is how often he seized a second chance. Baldwin’s note about his early flub in “30 Rock” was a gentle encouragement, not a rebuke — and Lauria took it to heart.
He has seen the pattern repeat elsewhere. As a college student, he watched “Friday Night Lights” and recognized himself on the screen. Years later, he got the part anyway.
Throughout his career, Lauria has repeatedly identified what he wanted and pursued it with determination. Wrestling on “30 Rock,” playing football on “Friday Night Lights,” and returning to television as a lead — each of these opportunities was seized and made to matter.
Confidence and persistence define his career. He keeps returning to the small screen, which, by his own reckoning, is where he feels most comfortable.
Source material: “Why Nathan Boone From Sheriff Country Looks So Familiar,” TVLine.
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